God of History, My God
Opening Prayer
Father God, I come asking nothing of You right now. I just want to bow before You in praise and worship.
Read 2 SAMUEL 22:1-16
[1] David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. [2] He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; [3] my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior- from violent men you save me. [4] I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. [5] “The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. [6] The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. [7] In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. [8] “The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry. [9] Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. [10] He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. [11] He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. [12] He made darkness his canopy around him- the dark rain clouds of the sky. [13] Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. [14] The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. [15] He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them. [16] The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What do we learn about God in this song?Belief in God is a deep part of most of us; however, the question remains: what sort of god do people believe in? For most, this “higher life force” does not really impact on their life. David, by contrast, is in no doubt about the God he knows. This is a God who is powerful and active on a global scale, at work in history and in all the physical universe. At the same time this is a very personal experience of God; David knows and trusts him and believes that God hears his prayer and chooses to act on it (7).
David is not dismayed by misfortune. He does not ask God why trouble has come or wonder why God did not stop it happening. He does know that God has a plan and will answer his prayers. This song of praise, almost at the end of the books of Samuel (and which also appears in our Bible as Psa. 18) balances Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2, meaning that the books are sandwiched by these two great hymns of praise. That puts all their history in the context of God’s plan. The danger and the problems have been real, but God is in control.
Apply
What difference does knowing a God like this make to your life? If you wrote a song of praise, what might it say?
Closing prayer
Truly, Father God, there is no God like You! You make all the difference in my life! I gladly praise You!
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